Making a Pebble Planter

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Posted by @goldfinch4 on
Looking for a little project to pass the time when cold or rainy weather keeps you out of the garden? How about making a cute pebble planter? This design works especially well for succulents and alpine plants because of the excellent drainage this pot provides.

This article was originally posted on January 31, 2013. It was a good gardening idea and worth seeing again, so we hope you enjoy revisiting it.

List of Materials:

Tin snips (optional)

Wire cutters

Pliers

Small stones

Permanent marker

Heavy gloves

Glue (one that holds up outdoors and dries clear is best)

Hardware cloth with 1/4” openings

Weed barrier cloth

Wire (the wire that comes off the roll of hardware cloth works great)

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Decide how large you want to make the pot and cut the hardware cloth to size.  I’m using a piece of hardware cloth 6” x 24”.  If you cut it out with tin snips, the work goes much faster, but a wire cutter will work fine, too. 

Form it into a circle and wire the opening together.  Be sure it’s pulled tight, but it doesn’t have to look pretty because it’ll be covered up.

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Roughly form it into the shape you’d like your finished pot to be.

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With tin snips (or wire cutters), cut slits about 2" long into bottom of pot at regular intervals so you can fold part of the hardware cloth toward the center to start creating the bottom of the pot.  Make a 90-degree fold so you have a sharp, rather than curved, edge.  Also keep the bottom as level as possible.  This will make it much easier when you begin adding your rocks.  Continue all the way around the pot.

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Lay the pot so the bottom is on top.  Take a sheet of hardware cloth, lay it over the pot, and with your permanent marker draw a line approximately 1/4” in from the sides (of the bottom) all the way around.   Cut bottom out with a wire cutter. 

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Using wire, attach the bottom you just cut out to the turned under edges on the bottom of the pot.  The piece you cut out should be attached on the outside bottom of the pot.  If you cut accurately, none of the bottom piece should stick out from the sides of the pot.

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Next, fold about an inch of the hardware cloth over toward the inside on the top of the pot.  This should be folded all the way in so it meets the side on the inside.  You will have to cut at intervals again to fold this in.  If you want a level top, fold it in evenly.  If you want a wavy or unusually shaped edge on top, fold to desired shape.  I made my entire pot an “organic” shape rather than a circle.  The sides and top were shaped unevenly on purpose.  Using pliers, go around the top edge and pinch it so it lies very flat against the inside.

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Now comes the fun part – glueing on the rocks.  I don’t put rocks on the very bottom of the pot, only on the edges.  Go ahead and start glueing, making sure to get plenty of glue on the two base layers of rocks and also get glue between the wire and the rocks to hold it all together.  I found it works best with the small rocks if I put two rows on the bottom and let those dry before adding any more.  The glue I use needs to set about 45 minutes before adding another layer.  When using such small rocks, keep checking to make sure they don’t slide out of place as you’re working. 

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For the rest of the layers I didn’t use as much glue between the rocks.   Place rocks as close together as you can, but don’t worry if there are small gaps as the pot will be lined with weed barrier cloth.

When you get to the top row, place the rocks a bit more toward the center of the pot so they cover the wire on the top.

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After the glue is dry, cut a piece of weed barrier cloth large enough to line the basket and so that you are able to fold a generous amount over inside the pot.  I placed the short folded edge between the wire and the liner so no loose edges would pop up.  Pull the cloth high enough so that all the wire will be covered, right up to the top of the pot.

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That’s it!  Now fill with potting soil and plants and you’ve got a clever, one of a kind flower pot!

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Clintbrown had made a similar pot, which became my inspiration to make this one.  He used larger rocks and a wooden base on his, and he did not use a wire form to place his rocks around.  It has an entirely different look and is gorgeous!

Photo by clintbrown - used with his permission

 
Comments and Discussion
Thread Title Last Reply Replies
Can do by JulieBW Nov 28, 2015 2:33 PM 1
Now that is cute! by woofie Nov 26, 2015 3:23 PM 55
What a great idea!!!! by Oberon46 Nov 25, 2015 12:02 PM 1
The base by clintbrown Feb 2, 2013 2:58 AM 1
Untitled by gg5 Jan 31, 2013 1:29 AM 5

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